Safety device for guns.



Z. P. JONES. SAFETY DEVICE FOR GUNS.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 7, 1912.

L7 965 Patented Aug. 19, 1913.

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q/vi/fueouo a M ZACHARIAH r. JONES, or SCOTTSVILLE, viRGINIA.

SAFETY DEVICE FOR GUNS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented'Aug. 19,1913.

Application filed November 7, 1912. Serial No. 730,061.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ZACHARIAH F. JONES, a citizen of the United States, residing at Scottsville in the county of Albemarle and State of Virginia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Safety Devices for Guns; and I do declare the fol? lowing to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

One object of the invention 1s to provide a safety device for guns by means of which the accidental discharge of the same is positively prevented, but which may be readily released to permit the firing of the gun at the proper time.

Another object is to provide a device of this character which will be simple, strong, durable and inexpensive in construction, efficient and reliable in operation and which may be readily applied to guns now in use or to those being constructed.

With these and other objects in View, the invention consists of certain novel features of construction, and the combination and arrangement of parts as will be more fully described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings: Figure l is a side view of a portion of a gun showing the application of the invention, parts of the latter being broken away and in section; Fig. 2 is a bottom plan view partly in section of the parts shown in Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a vlew similar to Fig. 1 showing the safety device retracted or in position to permit the un to be fired; Fig. 4 is a detail perspective view of the locking plate of the device. Fig.

-5 is a longitudinal sectional view of a portion of a gun stock and trigger plate showing a slightly modified construction of the trigger locking plate; Fig. 6 is a detail perspective view of the trigger locking plate shown in Fig. 5. t

In the embodiment of the invent-ion I provide a locking plate 1 which is of suitable width and iscurved to fit the curvature of the trigger plate and lower side of the gun stock grip to which said plate is slidably secured by a screw 2 which is engaged'with a slot 3 in the plate 1 near the rear end thereof and by a combined stop member and.

screw 4 which is engaged with a slot 5 and will be hereinafter more particularly described.

In the plate 1 intermediate its ends is a slot 6 through which'the rear end of the trigger guard 7 passes and in the front end of the platel adjacent to one of the side edges thereofis a notch 8 with which the shank of the rear trigger 9 is engaged and by means of which the forward end of the plate may be extended to permit the forward edge thereof to be'brought into operative engagement with the shank of the front trigger 10. v In the rear edge of the shank of the rear trigger is formed a locking notch 11 with which the inner end of the slot 8 is engaged, while in the rear edge of the shank of the front trigger 10 is formed a locking notch 12 with which the forward end of the plate 1 is engaged. When the end of the notch 8 and the end of the plate 1 are engaged with the locking notches 11 and 12 in the shanks of the triggers 9 and 10 it will be seen that the triggers will be securely locked or prevented from being pulled until the locking plate 1 is retracted and disengaged from the notches in the triggers, thus positively preventing the accidental firing of the gun.

In order to project the locking plate 1 and to yieldingly hold it in operative or locking engagementwith the triggers 9 and 10, I provide a plate actuating spring 13 which is engaged with an offset guide finger 14 secured at its forward end to the plate 1 between the slots 5 and 6 therein and having its rear end slightly engaged with a guide aperture 15 in the stop member 4 which is engaged with the slot 5 and with the trigger guard plate 7 and forms one of the plate guiding and retaining devices hereinbefore described. The spring 13 when thus arranged is confined between the ofiset portion of the finger 14 and the stop member 4 and the pressure of the spring is applied to push the locking plate 1 forwardly to an operative position wherein the end of the notch 8 and the end of the plate will engage the notches 11 and 12 in the triggers and positively prevent the latter from being pulled. The guide fin er 14, spring 13 and stop member 4 are pre erably covered by a hood or casing 16 having on its forward end an attaching lug 17 winch is secured to the locking plate 1 by the same screws 18 which fasten the guide finger l4:

. to the locking plate'l. The hood 16 when thus arranged forms not only a casing for the spring 13 and its supporting members but also a grip by means of whlch the looking plate 1 may be readily retracted or drawn back to disengage the forward end thereof from the triggers when it is desired to fire the gun. It will be noted that the hood 16 is arranged on the grip of the main stock in such position that the hood may be conveniently grasped when the hand is aplied to the stock for holding the un in hring position and that the-hood an looking plate 1 may be operated by the ball of the hand immediately prior to.-the pulling of the trigger by the forefingers.

In Figs. 5 and 6 of the drawings is shown a slightly modified form of trigger locking plate l9 said plate having its rear or outer end constructed and 'arrange'din the same manner as the locking'plate'l and to this end of the plate is secured a projecting spring constructed in' the same manner as and provided for the same purpose as the spring 13 shown in the first form of the invention, and a further illustration and description of this part of the device is not:

thought to be necessary. The locking plate 19 adjacent to the rear end ofzthe trigger guard is reduced to form a narrow; neck 20" and at said reduced portion the plate is' bent upwardly so that the forward end thereof is offset or lies in a plane above the rear end of the plate as shown. f 'The' forward oflset, end of the-docking}!i plate when thus constructed is inserted inner side of the trigger plate, as clearly ward ,end of the plate 19 when thus arranged and projected by its springis adapted to engage locking notches 22 formed in the rear edges of the shanks 23 of the triggers 24. It will be noted that in this construction of the end thereof is square and that the notch 8 als1 shown in the first form is omitted. When t e that the shank of the forward trigger be extended back even with the shank of the rear trigger so that the notches 22 in said shanks willbe in alinement to receive the end of the locking plate 19 when the latter is projected to an operative position for locking'the triggers.

The construction and arrangement of the trigger locking plate described and illusrough a slot 21 formed in the tri ger plate and has said forw'ard ofi'set end ispos edrwithinthe recess of the gun stockadjacent to the.

plate 19 the trigger engaging plate is thus constructed it is necessary.

t-rated in Figs. 5 and 6 of the drawings is the form which will be employed when the that the same may be readily adjusted to various forms of guns already constructed by simply forming two screw holes in the rear portion of the trigger guard plate to receive the fastening screws 2 and the threaded inner end of the stop member 4 as hereinbefore described. It will also be noted that the locking plate is automatic in operation and will be projected to an operative position for locking the triggers as soon as the locking plate and triggers are released.

From the foregoing description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, the construction and operation of the invention will be readily understood without requiring a more extended explanation.

Various changes in the form, proportion and the minor details of construction may be resorted to without departing from the principle or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention as claimed.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

' 1. In a safety device for guns, the combination with the triggers thereof having notches in the rear edges of their shanks; of

a locking plate slidably secured beneath the gun stock with its forward end in position to engage said notches when they aline with .each other and its rearmost portion slotted,

a stop member depending from said stock through one of said slots and pierced with an eye, a guard finger whose forward end is secured to said plate while its body has an angle and its rear end is slidably mounted within said eye, an expansive spring coiled on the finger between its angle and said stop member, and a casing secured to said plate and surrounding the elements described, the casing having an abrupt front end, for the purpose set forth.

2. In a safety device for guns, the combination with the gun stock, slotted trigger plate, and triggers having notches in the rear edges of their shanks; of the trigger guard depending from said trigger plate and inclosing the finger-pieces of the triggers, a locking plate whose rear end is slidably mounted beneath the rear end of said trigger plate, whose body is slotted where it stands astride said guard and deflected upward through the slot in the trigger plate, and Whose forward end is adapted to my hand in presence of two subscribing Witengagehsaid1 notchesidin the triggerl-oshanks nesses. When t ey a ine, yie in means for ear'ln T said locking plate norm lly forward, and% ZACHARIAH JOLES' housing inclosing said means and having an Witnesses: abrupt front end, for the purpose set forth. ASHBY W. MAYs,

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set C. B. NooN. 

